Santos Trial Whistleblower Forced Out By New Treasurer

A whistleblower whose testimony in federal court helped convict city Treasurer Miriam Santos earlier this year was fired from her job Friday by Santos' successor.

Patty Errera, the $70,000-a-year chief fund manager in the treasurer's office was dismissed after a resign-or-be fired ultimatum from Barbara Lumpkin, who was appointed to the treasurer's post by Mayor Richard Daley following Santos' May extortion conviction.

Two of Errera's assistants, Michelle Belcher and Robert Guzman, also were terminated.

"This is blatant retaliation" for revealing wrongdoing by a powerful and popular politician, Errera asserted.

But according to Lumpkin, "That is simply not the case. Politics played no role in this."

She said the office of city Inspector Gen. Alexander Vroustouris recommended Errera's dismissal.

Lumpkin said the firing was based on Errera's admissions on the witness stand at the Santos trial and subsequently to city investigators that she made commission-free trades for her personal account with a financial services firm with which she did business as part of her city job.

"It was a violation of city policy and the code of ethics to use your city position for any kind of gain," Lumpkin said.

Lumpkin said she took the action although Errera had been "a stellar performer."

Errera said she obtained the commission-free trading perk when she worked for the financial services firm in 1990.

She said she relinquished the benefit after the Santos trial "because I did not want it to look bad," although she never favored her former employer in her city job, and that records show she always deposited city funds with the highest bidder.

Belcher and Guzman also made commission-free trades, Lumpkin said. Belcher denied the charge, while Guzman could not immediately be contacted for comment.

"I did the right thing (in revealing Santos' wrongdoing), but what I should have done was shut my mouth and turned my head," Errera said.

After Errera's testimony, Ald. Richard Mell (33rd), chairman of the City Council's Rules Committee, said a whisteblower protection ordinance "is something we would want to consider."

However, Errera said when she tried on four occasions to discuss such a measure with Mell, she did not get a return call.